The beginning of the Cory legend

Corazon Aquino passed away on August 1, 2009 at 3:18 in the morning. The cause was advanced colon cancer and  she had been hospitalized more than a month. Her son Benigno Aquino III said that the cancer had spread and she was too weak to continue therapy. She was 76.

The messages of grief and love came from people of all walks of life and from all over the world. Her security escort of 20 years, Melchor Mamaril, gave a very touching eulogy. “I feel a sense of wonder and at the same time, I realized that her treatment raised my dignity as a person. She gave me self-respect, self-worth and self-confidence. And even when she lay dying in bed, she was always concerned about us. She would always ask if we had eaten already. One could always see her compassionate heart for all those in need.”

President Barack Obama said he was deeply saddened by her death: “She played a crucial role in Philippine history, moving the country to democratic rule through a non-violent People Power Movement...Her courage, determination and moral leadership are an inspiration to us and exemplify the best in the Filipino nation.”

Hillary Clinton, then US Secretary of State sent a message: “Cory Aquino was beloved by her nation and admired by the world for her extraordinary courage after the assassination of her husband and later, during her service as president. She helped bring democracy back to the Philippines after many years of authoritarian rule with a faith in her country and its people that never wavered.”

Opening at the Manila Hotel tomorrow is “A Gift of Self,” a personal collection of Cory Aquino paintings given to family and friends.  Exhibit runs until August 2.

This year also commemorates the 30th year of the martyrdom of Ninoy Aquino whose funeral procession from Sto. Domingo Church to Manila Memorial Park brought millions of people to the streets of Metro Manila. This was the beginning of People Power, the start of many demonstrations in the face of intimidation and harassment by the police and military forces of the Marcos dictatorship.

This was also the beginning of the ascent of Cory Aquino as the inspiration and the leader of the movement for the restoration of democracy and freedom to this country.

There have been many stories written about her since that time until now after her death. But one story, seldom told but worth recalling, is the first interview by a local journalist of Corazon Aquino after the assassination of her husband.

At that time, the media was totally controlled by Marcos and his cronies.  Social media had yet to exist. The independent press could best be described as a “mosquito” press and was published “underground.” Its publishers and writers were constantly being arrested or harassed.

Then a personality magazine, Mr. & Ms. decided to publish a Special Edition series beginning with the assassination of Ninoy and a full length article on Cory Aquino. The local journalist whom the publisher Eggie Apostol chose for that historic first interview was Neni Sta Romana- Cruz.

Here, in her own words, is the story of that first interview:

“I was in the company of Mr.& Ms. publisher Eggie Apostol who had arranged an exclusive interview that she wanted me to do for the Mr. & Ms. Special Edition which was launched immediately after the Aquino assassination. She picked me up and we proceeded to the Aquino residence on Times Street. It was so soon after Ninoy was buried because the nine-day Masses at Sto. Domingo Church were still going on. All the major broadsheets were part of the Marcos propaganda machinery and were scared to give  Ninoy Aquino and his family any publicity lest it displease those in power.

“But Eggie was eager to outscoop everyone and to promote truth and justice by letting the public know what lay beneath the staid and inaccurate news coverage of the national dailies and the broadcasting stations.

“The interview was in the living room.  She was in black, looked tired and drawn but was restrained and calm.  There were a few rare moments when she would say things in jest like when she said that the only things wanting in her otherwise blissful 20-year marriage to Ninoy were a few unconventional and boring moments. I was struck by her humility and more so by her recognition of my maiden name pointing out that my mother’s family, the Luceros, are related to the Cojuangcos , something I vaguely knew through my elders who knew her family and used to mention it. It seemed almost ridiculous that a prominent member of the clan should be the one pointing out the kinship with a lesser known member of the family tree.

“She made me feel so at ease and I seemed to be mourning more than she was. I kept thinking, how can this frail woman endure it all? She was easy to interview because she wanted her story to be heard.”

In one part of the article,  Neni wrote: “People who were heartbroken at the sight of the once fiery and flamboyant Ninoy in his bloodied bush jacket feared that his appearance may inflict more unnecessary sorrow on his family. Cory saw nothing of what many thought was un-pretty. She said, ‘He looked much better than I expected. I guess when you love someone you only see the beautiful.’ “

On that August day in 1983, did Cory  sense what her future would be? Here is what Neni wrote: “There are many things Cory looks forward to — from the mundane task of unpacking (she cannot even quite recall, is it a week or two weeks that they have been home?), of even having the luxury of time to cry,  sort things out (a necessity, she has told Kris), to the momentous ones of compiling her husband’s writings into a book, and working closely with a biographer for Ninoy’s story.”

But she was destined to be more than an editor and writer.  Unknown to her, the Cory legend had begun.  She would be the subject of countless stories and articles.  Her destiny would one day make her the icon of People Power and democracy in the Philippines and throughout the world.

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